Of course there is evidence.

Outside the Drunken Immortal Restaurant, countless diners formed two rows, pointing and casting looks of utter contempt at the three bound Japanese men kneeling in the middle.

"Japanese beggars," "Japanese street urchins," "Japanese dogs"—such abusive insults were too offensive to the ear.

Hearing the curses echoing from all around, Manager Xu felt as happy as if his heart had blossomed with flowers, but on the surface, he maintained a very stern expression.

"Everyone, everyone, stop wasting your breath. Hear me out, just hear me out!"

Manager Xu suddenly reached out both hands and gently pressed them downward toward the crowds on either side of the doorway. Seeing the surrounding insults gradually subside, he neatly adjusted his sleeves.

"Let's stop cursing for now. We will wait until the Young Master arrives; our Young Master will surely make a fair judgment on this!" Manager Xu advised with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this, the crowd turned their eyes in unison, exchanged glances, and nodded.

However, the gazes they directed at the kneeling Japanese men remained utterly contemptuous, their faces filled with disgust and loathing.

"That's right! Once Young Master Li arrives, he will certainly not let these 'despicable and shameless' petty thieves off the hook. Those Japanese beggars must be severely punished!"

"Indeed, to dare act so audaciously within our Tang borders just shows how slippery and dishonest these Japanese people are on ordinary days!"

"In my opinion, not a single one of these Japanese is any good. To actually come all the way to our Tang Empire to pull off thefts!"

"Send them right back to where they came from!"

"Quite right! If we continue to let these Japanese beggars linger in our Tang Empire, who knows what valuable treasures they might secretly steal another day?"

As the crowd chattered away, they eagerly awaited Li Yi's arrival.

Meanwhile, the news that "Japanese people attempted to secretly steal the secret culinary recipes at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant and were caught red-handed" spread through the entire city of Chang'an like a wild rabbit with wings.

This news soon reached the Bureau of Foreign Guests.

Almost immediately upon hearing the report, Inugami no Mitaosuki and Hinitu hurried over to the Drunken Immortal Restaurant with several other Japanese men, arriving just a step before Li Yi.

"Manager Xu, what is the meaning of tying up people from my country of Japan and making them kneel in public?"

Inugami no Mitaosuki and Hinitu, who arrived first, glanced at the three bound men kneeling on the ground before turning their gazes uniformly toward Manager Xu with extremely unnatural expressions.

Manager Xu lifted his cold brows, swept a glance over the Japanese men, and let out a cold laugh from the corner of his mouth.

He had not expected this group of Japanese to arrive even before Li Yi.

"What is my meaning? Heh..." Manager Xu sneered, his expression suddenly darkening as he pointed at the three bound Japanese men and said, "The two ambassadors, you probably don't know yet, do you?"

"These three Japanese men whom you compensated to us slipped into our back kitchen during the Yin hour today, attempting to secretly steal our secret recipes for fine cuisine!"

"Fortunately, one of my restaurant attendants discovered them in time. Otherwise, who knows, the unique culinary arts of our Drunken Immortal Restaurant might have been stolen away by them while I remained completely oblivious!"

"When we signed the compensation agreement back then, the terms were written clearly and explicitly in black and white."

"If any of them harbored malicious intentions and attempted to secretly harm our Drunken Immortal Restaurant, we reserve the right to deal with them according to the laws of Great Tang."

Pausing slightly, Manager Xu tossed his head, let out another cold laugh, took a step forward, and challenged Inugami no Mitaosuki and Hinitu, "You tell me, what is my meaning?"

Instantly, the faces of Inugami no Mitaosuki and Hinitu turned as unsightly as the bottom of a blackened wok.

After pondering for a moment, Inugami no Mitaosuki narrowed his eyes and looked at Manager Xu. "Manager Xu, is there concrete evidence for this? Without proof, you cannot wrongfully accuse them, let alone casually smear the reputation of my country of Japan!"

"Evidence?" Manager Xu sneered coldly, casting a sidelong glance at Inugami no Mitaosuki. "My restaurant's attendant and the head chef in the back kitchen discovered them together. Do you still need me to invite them out one by one to testify?"

Seeing Manager Xu speak with such absolute certainty, Inugami no Mitaosuki, Hinitu, and the Japanese followers behind them all felt a rising sense of foreboding.

Therefore, Inugami no Mitaosuki decided to forgo any further debate with Manager Xu. Instead, he glared slightly at the three kneeling men and demanded in their native tongue, "I ask you, is what Manager Xu said true?"

Upon hearing this, expressions of utter misery instantly surfaced on the faces of the three men.

One of the Japanese men replied in their native tongue, "Respected Ambassadors, we heard that Inugami Junji was shot dead by Li Bo'an's maidservant within the imperial palace, so we thought... we thought we would steal the restaurant's top-secret culinary skills to vent our fierce anger and avenge Inugami Junji."

"Yes, Respected Ambassadors, you must save us..." another Japanese man said with a miserable expression, speaking in their native tongue. "We took advantage of the darkness when we saw everyone was fast asleep, and that was how we got the idea."

"Indeed, Ambassador," chimed in the third Japanese man in his native language. "Who would have thought that just as we stepped into the back kitchen, not even the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea had passed before a group of attendants rushed in, beat us mercilessly, and tied us up..."

With faces full of pain and eyes brimming with desperate entreaty, the three men stared intently at Inugami no Mitaosuki and Hinitu, their gazes filled with pleading.

Having heard the confirmation straight from the mouths of the three culprits, Inugami no Mitaosuki and Hinitu felt an overwhelming urge to curse aloud, their faces turning green with suppressed rage.

However, constrained by the surrounding crowd, uttering curses would instantly confirm the guilt of their countrymen. Thus, the two men forcefully swallowed their fury.

Having brought upon themselves such a scandalous mess, Inugami no Mitaosuki and Hinitu wanted nothing more than to commit murder when they looked at the three kneeling men again.

After a brief hesitation, Hinitu suddenly asked the kneeling Japanese in their native tongue, "Do you have any physical evidence on you, such as recipe scrolls?"

"None!" The kneeling men shook their heads immediately and answered earnestly in their native language. "Absolutely none, Respected Ambassadors. We didn't find any recipes at all."

Upon hearing this, Hinitu exchanged glances with Inugami no Mitaosuki, and a solution quickly formed in their minds.

Since the men carried no incriminating evidence on them, everything else became negotiable.

"Manager Xu." Withdrawing his gaze from the kneeling trio, Inugami no Mitaosuki took a deep breath, looked at Manager Xu, and said with a straight face, "This matter must simply be a misunderstanding."

"These men were personally handpicked by me. Every single one of them possesses upright character and exemplary conduct; they would never do such base things!"

"Quite right, Manager Xu!" Hinitu chimed in from the side, offering a defense. "We have already questioned them. This matter is by no means as severe as 'stealing techniques.' It must merely be a misunderstanding!"

"Heh, a misunderstanding?" Manager Xu shrugged and let out a cold laugh.

Although Manager Xu had long learned from Li Yi that the shamelessness of these Japanese people knew no bounds, seeing it firsthand finally broadened his horizons.

He never imagined that even when caught red-handed as thieves, these Japanese would still shamelessly claim it was nothing more than a misunderstanding!

"You call this mere misunderstanding just because you say so?"

Manager Xu smiled indifferently, twirled his sleeve, swept a cold glance over them, and slowly said, "There's no need to rush. Since you refuse to admit to it with your dying breath, we are not afraid either. Our Drunken Immortal Restaurant has both human witnesses and physical evidence. Let's wait until the Young Master arrives and discuss it then!"

Having dropped these words, Manager Xu ignored them completely.

Instantly, the faces of Inugami no Mitaosuki and Hinitu cycled through a myriad of colorful hues, making them look far worse than oxidized copper rust.

Having crossed paths with Li Yi several times before, both men knew very well that Li Yi was a thoroughly aggravating adversary.

Yet, hearing Manager Xu's ultimatum, despite their extreme reluctance, they had no choice but to nod along in compliance.

Since no incriminating evidence was found on the culprits, Inugami no Mitaosuki and Hinitu figured they still had room to maneuver.

Therefore, Inugami no Mitaosuki gave a slight nod, forced a stiff smile, and spoke up, "In that case, waiting is naturally for the best!"

However, Manager Xu had no intention of entertaining them further and refused to spare them another glance. Inugami no Mitaosuki and Hinitu simply smiled awkwardly, feeling no sense of embarrassment whatsoever.

They had long grown accustomed to this treatment and cared little for the snubs of the people of Tang.

After waiting only a short while, Li Yi's entourage finally arrived at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant.

"Young Master Li is here—!" someone suddenly shouted. The two rows of onlookers immediately stepped aside, voluntarily clearing a path for Li Yi.

"Thank you, everyone." As he walked forward, Li Yi smiled gently at the people around him and stepped into the crowd.

Cheng Chumò, Yuè'ér, and the attendant Xi Zhìzhāo followed closely behind Li Yi.

"Young Master." The moment Li Yi's figure appeared, Manager Xu hurried forward with a beaming smile and bowed respectfully.

Before Inugami no Mitaosuki and the others could speak, Manager Xu took the initiative: "Young Master, these three Japanese men sneaked into our back kitchen and attempted to steal the recipes. We caught them red-handed, yet these two ambassadors claim it's all a misunderstanding!"

"Oh... a misunderstanding?" Li Yi furrowed his brows slightly, pondered for a couple of breaths, and then looked at Manager Xu.

"Manager Xu, we mustn't slander people indiscriminately. After all, they are envoys sent from Japan. Do you have any evidence?" Li Yi asked with a solemn expression.

"Evidence? Of course I do, Young Master!" Manager Xu nodded like an eager flunky, then immediately shot a meaningful look at Xi Zhìzhāo, who stood beside Li Yi, and Xi Zhìzhāo understood instantly.